EVALUATING AND ADAPTING YOUR SOON-TO-LAUNCH STRATEGY · 2020-04-27 · channels of communication between healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical manufacturers. This decreased

EVALUATING AND ADAPTING YOUR SOON-TO-LAUNCH STRATEGYRESPONSE TO COVID-19 FOR PLANNED DRUG LAUNCHES MAY 2020

© Ipsos 2020

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Consideration #1: Access & Communication

Our approach

Consideration #2: Risk Assessment & Scenario Planning

Consideration #3: Milestone & Forecast Adjustments

About Ipsos

Summary

All data cited drawn from Ipsos’ study – COVID-19: Impact on HCP practices study (April 2020)

RESPONSE TO COVID-19 FOR PLANNED DRUG LAUNCHES

Situation analysis

Physical distancing brought on by COVID-19 has greatly disrupted the channels of communication between healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical manufacturers. This decreased engagement poses especially formidable obstacles for those manufacturers preparing for a product launch.

Cancellations of medical conferences and congresses, over 55 to date, have severely limited manufacturers’ ability to disseminate information. Without these events, the importance of sales rep interactions with physicians becomes paramount, as it remains the only viable means of interaction. However, physicians have severely limited their availability to sales reps during the current crisis, with our research* showing over a third (38%) currently accepting zero reps.

Additionally, COVID-19 has meaningfully altered most practice’s patient loads. Physicians report that they have seen a 50% drop in patient visits and three-quarters of practices have decided to postpone all “non-essential” appointments. This constricted focus to COVID-related visits has shifted the conversations physicians are having with their patients, requiring a novel value proposition and marketing strategy to break through.

These conditions will be especially challenging for those 13 novel assets approved since the beginning of 2020, as well as those awaiting regulatory decisions. The question now is, how can these brands adapt their launch plans and successfully emerge from this crisis with an on-track trajectory?

Success in the face of COVID-19 requires a divorce from traditional norms and an expansion of novel and innovative strategic operations. This white paper illustrates the critical thinking that is essential to maintain a well-informed and strategically adaptive launch plan during this unprecedented time in the market.

Situation analysisWhat impact does the current COVID situation have on our launch plan?

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Situation analysis




About Ipsos

Summary



Our approach

These three simple considerations will help you to evaluate and adapt your launch strategy to better succeed in the current market climate:

Access and communicationWhat are the available levers for physician engagement and how can they be tapped to effectively support physicians?

Risk assessment and scenario planningWhat limitations to the healthcare system present the greatest threats to your commercial launch and what options exist to mitigate them?

Milestone and forecast adjustmentsWhat modifications to future plans and targets will need to be made and what are their likely impact on your forecasts

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Situation analysis

Our approach



About Ipsos

Summary




Consideration #1: Access and communicationInnovative engagement between manufacturers and physicians is necessary to encourage novel prescribing habits

Examples of Total Ecosystem Engagement• Partnering with KOLs and academic research in the development

of new therapeutic area treatment guidelines• Supporting unbranded-thinking symposiums and workshops

among physicians• Engagement with practices and physicians to provide assistance

where staffing and capabilities have been compromised

• Development of patient “switch kits”• Ease administrative burden through broader coverage policy• Affiliating with patient support organizations to enable better

at-home care options• Exploratory studies into merits of remote/telemedicine treatment

initiation

The global pandemic has irrefutably disrupted the healthcare market—hospitals are overburdened, practices have had to cut or furlough staff and an indefinite delay of all non-COVID-19 treatments has been imposed. The usual channels of communication between physicians and manufacturers have similarly been altered, with a 90% reduction of in-person sales rep visits and the mass cancellation of medical congresses. Physicians are trying to tread water and have even revised their treatments (a reported 26% reduction in immune-suppressing agents) to conform with the realities of the times. It is clear that physicians are in need of real help, but simply employing conventional messaging tactics will not be an effective strategy to build uptake or engender goodwill at this juncture.

A commitment to being a supportive partner, developing new communication approaches and reiterating your dedication to addressing the needs of physicians and their patients, will spur uptake and build durable bonds. This is especially true as physicians consider switching or starting a patient on a new therapy, as they will have many reservations about monitoring and potentially introducing them into the hospital system.

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Situation analysis


Our approach


About Ipsos

Summary




Consideration #2: Risk assessment and scenario planningUnderstand your product and explore strategies to address the inherent difficulties it can expect, as a result of variable market factors/environments

Understand your Market• How am I moving volume new

scripts or switches? • Severity of disease?• How does telemedicine affect the

current treatment for my patients?• How limiting will a requirement for

a companion diagnostic or in-office consultation be to uptake?

• Primary vs. specialty therapeutic area?• Severity of disease?

COVID-19 has created an unfamiliar healthcare environment that introduces a range of market variables resulting in an equal number of unique challenges to manufactures of all types and sizes. However, the magnitude of these challenges will not be equally felt across all products and therapeutic areas. How can manufacturers quantify the anticipated impact of the unsettled climate on their product launches?

Realizing the innate resilience or susceptibility of your product will be essential to successfully navigate these uncertain times. By critically examining those aspects of your asset’s launch plan that, under the current crisis, jeopardize its commercial launch will enable you to develop various scenarios and anticipate future challenges. A rigorous and complete exploration of all the possible scenarios will allow you to develop contingency plans and enact appropriate measures to mitigate any losses.

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Situation analysis


Our approach


About Ipsos

Summary




Consideration #3: Milestone and forecast adjustmentsMeasuring how market variables will effect both short- and medium-term product and company success

How we can helpConduct rapid market research to provide actionable insights to track and improve your brand’s performance Including:• Streamlined questionnaire among your

HCP or patient audience• Ability to build scenarios and sensitivities

on top of your existing forecast models• Insight into the most important market

factors to monitor and understand the impact on sales

Market uncertainty is cause for any product to reevaluate its projections, but for those products planning to launch, it can be especially disruptive. Pre-launch planning is especially temperamental as it is a carefully coordinated series of coordinated steps that are quite sensitive to interruptions. Forecasting is essential for all short- and long-term strategic planning. An informed forecast is critically important in this climate, where such uncertainty resides in the market and the ultimate success of the asset and manufacturer may be determined during launch.

Developing forecasts to support several scenarios will allow manufactures to determine the extent to which variable market events will impact the financial success of their asset. Identifying the net impact of each decision and categorizing various scenarios from least to most impactful will enable manufacturers to optimally pilot their launch through this crisis. A precise forecast will also assist the development of a well-informed portfolio plan, enabling thoughtful investment in future years.

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Situation analysis


Our approach



About Ipsos



Summary

Let’s start the conversation!Reach out to your Ipsos account contact or Jim McDermott, SVP, Commercial Strategy, [email protected]

Summary

Refine your communication strategy• Identify key considerations and optimal communication processes with physicians• Engage with physicians through innovative channels to help them better support their patients• Refine and redeploy sales team with enhanced detail tools/technologies and appropriate training • Develop and assess how your adapted communication channels are performing and determine optimal metrics for

channel measurement

Identify risk profile• Develop a framework to help determine those aspects most disrupted in the complex global healthcare environment• Evaluate your product’s risk profile in this uncertain climate• Understand the expected magnitude of impact and develop any risk-mitigation strategies• Engage in various scenario planning exercises to fully explore decision trees and contingency plans

Revaluation• Revise forecasting assumptions and determine any augmentations that should to be implemented into the product’s

launch plan• Quantify scenario-based impacts to forecasts and launch plan

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Situation analysis


Our approach



About Ipsos



Summary

Scenario planning for now and next: Signaling for recovery

DEFINING THE UNCERTAINTY DETAILING THE IMPLICATIONS DEVELOPING THE STRATEGY

STAGE 1Leverage Ipsos’ Econometric and Health Indicators dashboard to zoom into a specific locality for hyper-local data to assess:• Consumer mobility/F2F and digital

purchasing behaviors

• Concentration of individuals visiting local health care facilities

• Information-seeking search results

• Social intelligence on local adaptation

• Perceptions/awareness/disinformation regarding reopening

STAGE 2Recruit HCPs and patients, either as ongoing advisory panels or as a single pulse, to provide direct insights from your target customers.

This data will be integrated with the dashboard data to provide specific therapeutic area intelligence that informs your scenario planning and RE-ENTRY ROADMAP

STAGE 3Mine Econometric and Health Indicators data & HCP and patient research to conduct Scenario Planning for what comes next by evaluating the specific context surrounding:• The product and portfolio

• Practice dynamics

• Supply chain considerations

• HCP receptivity

• Access and support

STAGE 4• Develop your scenario-specific

RE-ENTRY ROADMAP

– Revise competitive landscape

– Re-engineer strategic plan to include some or all of the following: Forecasting, segmentation/market map, customer journey, messaging (digital and personal) and geo-targeted sales strategy

– Assess promotional mix

– Timing personal promotion re-engagement

Let’s start the conversation!Reach out to your Ipsos account contact or Jim McDermott, SVP, Commercial Strategy, [email protected]

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Situation analysis


Our approach



Summary



About Ipsos

Ipsos Advisory Services is a team of seasoned professionals who are experienced business leaders, all of whom have extensive experience in the life sciences industry and life sciences consulting. Having worked for medical device, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, as well as some of the world’s leading strategy consulting firms, our team assists clients in solving their most pressing strategic issues. We look forward to supporting you during this time of extreme uncertainty.

Some of our Senior Leaders and their specific expertise

Jim McDermottCommercial Strategy, Market

Access and [email protected]

Francine FramDemand Assessments,

Forecasting and Corporate [email protected]

Nimit BansalBrand Strategy, Consumer Strategy, Portfolio [email protected]

D’Arcy King, Ph.D.Brand Strategy, Promotion

Strategy, Behavioral [email protected]

About Ipsos Advisory Services

Ipsos North America interviewed n=311 participants online, only in the US. All participants were HCPs who spent at least 75% of time in patient care, allowed sales reps in office prior to COVID-19 and participated in at least 1 e-detail in the past two weeks. HCPs included in the sample were: Allergists n=29, Rheumatologists n=24, Neurologists n=50, Psychiatrists n=50, Endocrinologists n=40, PCPs n=50, Dermatologists n=25, Oncologists n=43. E-detail in the study was defined as “any non-personal interaction with a pharmaceutical sales representative or company, such as a telephone call, videoconference (Skype/FaceTime), online video, etc.”. Each HCP assessed up to 3 recent e-details, resulting in 642 e-details being evaluated. Fieldwork took place between March 26th, 2020 to April 2nd, 2020.

About the Ipsos survey – COVID-19: Impact on HCP practices (April 2020)

About the Ipsos Healthcare Service LineIpsos’ Healthcare Service Line partners with pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device manufacturers to inspire better healthcare. Operating in 50+ markets, our 1,000+ experts support key business decisions for our clients throughout the commercial lifecycle, from early-stage strategy, to launch, to performance optimization. We do this through a uniquely integrated combination of therapeutic and market expertise, gold standard real-world evidence and market-leading custom research approaches—all underpinned by a global footprint and unprecedented access to today’s healthcare stakeholders.

www.ipsos.com

Ipsos Healthcare

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Watch the full on-demand webinar for more detail and commentary on this COVID HCP research at https://bit.ly/2xXTIvk

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EVALUATING AND ADAPTING YOUR SOON-TO-LAUNCH STRATEGY · 2020-04-27 · channels of communication between healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical manufacturers. This decreased